Scherer says Madigan has too much power

House Speaker Michael Madigan has too much power, but it’s not clear what can be done about it, state Rep. Sue Scherer, D-Decatur, said Tuesday.

Scherer, speaking to The State Journal-Register editorial board, said she was frustrated that a bill calling for Decatur-based Archer Daniels Midland Co. to bring jobs to the city wasn’t called for a vote in December.

“I felt like I had to support it because of the number of jobs,” Scherer said. “I went to the speaker numerous times and asked him to call it for a vote. For whatever reasons, he didn’t call it for a vote.”

Asked if she thought Madigan had too much power, Scherer simply replied, “yes,” before adding that she does not know what can be done about it. Scherer said the fact Madigan provided several hundred thousand dollars to her 2012 election campaign, along with other staff support, didn’t make any difference.

“My boss is not Speaker Madigan,” she said.

The ADM bill was up for a possible vote on the same day the legislature passed a bill to reform the state’s underfunded pension systems. Scherer agreed “the timing couldn’t have been worse.”

“It was just so rushed,” she said.

The bill required ADM to bring 600 jobs to Decatur in order to collect tax breaks when it moved 100 executives from Decatur to Chicago. The company has since moved the executives without obtaining tax breaks, making the bill moot.

Scherer has had similar frustration over her bill to largely eliminate state airplanes. Gov. Pat Quinn, Madigan and state officials often use the planes to commute between Chicago and Springfield.

“I’ve asked (Madigan) straight up, ‘When are we going to call the bill for the planes?’” Scherer said. “They’re not too anxious to do it. I said, ‘Well, I’m not going away. I’m going to keep letting the world know these planes are being flown around and I don’t see any point in us having them.’”

Eliminating the planes is an element of Scherer’s list of cuts that would then enable the state to eliminate the 2011 income tax hike. Others include cutting lawmaker pay, reducing the number of state cars, and combining the treasurer’s and comptroller’s offices, something Madigan opposes.

“If there are enough of us who feel that way, then I’m not so sure we can’t convince (Madigan) to change his mind,” Scherer said.

Although the list of cuts Scherer put forward doesn’t come close to saving the billions that would be lost if the income tax increase expires, she said she’s confident more can be found.

“This is just the tip of the iceberg,” she said. “There are so many little things.”

Scherer said she is opposed to expanded gambling because of the impact it has on problem gamblers and their families.

She said it is too early to make changes to the concealed carry law passed last year.

“I think we need to just let it go and put it into place and see how things work out,” Scherer said.

Scherer, a first-term representative, is facing Springfield businesswoman Gina Lathan in the March 18 Democratic primary in the 96th District, which stretches from Springfield to Decatur.

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